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(No Model.)

P. C. BROWN. HOUSE LETTER BOX.

Patented Sept. 6, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

PHILIP C. BROWN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

HOUSE LETTER-Box;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 482,292, datedSeptember 6, 1892.

Application filed July 25, 1891. Serial 110.400.726. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, PHILIP C. BROWN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements 1n House Letter-Boxes; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art toiwhichit ap'- pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in what areknown as delivery letter-boxes, and which are intended to be applied todwellings, oflices, andthe like to facilitate the delivery of mail bythe carrier system; and it has for its object to provide a letter-box inwhich the mail can be inserted by the carrier with one hand and whichwill automatically close after the insertion of the mail and beaccessible only to the occupant of the house, be proof against theentrance of rain, snow, or dust, be neat and attractive in appearance,to provide a separate receptacle for papers and the like, and to providean in- 1(.licator to denote the presence of mail in the To these ends myinvention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of partshereinafter fully described, and afterward definitely pointed out in theclaims, due reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, wherein- Figure l is a perspective view ofmy' improved box closed; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section; Fig.3, a perspective view showing the box open, and Fig. 4 a detail viewillustrating a modified form of fastening.

Referring to said drawings, the letter A indicates the box proper, whichis preferably constructed of sheet metal cut from a single blank andbent up into the shape shown. One of the rear inner edges of the box isprovided with loops B B to form hinges.

C indicates a metallic plate, preferably cast and provided with pintlesc c and ahasp c', cast integral with said plate, the plate beingprovided with two or more perforations c2 cadapted for the reception ofscrews, nails, or rivets, by means of which the box is secured to thedoor or oth er part of the dwelling. Said plate C is slightly smallerthan the inside of the rear of the box and is provided with acorrugation D, for the purpose hereinafter described.

E indicates a metallic partition, which extends from the'rear lower edgeof the box and curves for a slight distance toward the front of the box,and thence upward to near the top of the box, where it is bent parallelwith said top, and thence is inclined downwardly and rearwardly to forma detlecting-plate e. The lower inner end of the box is closed bya plateF. (Clearly lshown in Fig. 3.) The box A at its top is provided with aslot G, intended for the admission of mail-matter, and is closed by agravitating shutter H, which is hinged to a rod h, soldered or otherwisesecured to the upper edge of the deflecting-plate e. The shutter H ishinged in rear of its' center, in

order that the shutter will always close by gravity, andthe front ofsaid shutter is bent downwardly, as at h', to prevent the entrancebeneath it of rain, snow, or dust. The slot G is narrower at its rearthan at its front, so that the top of the box overlaps the shutter, asat g, and excludes the elements at this point.

J indicates a staple riveted to one end of a iiat spring K, which issecured at its other end to the interior of the box, the stapleprojecting through a slot j in the side of the box. In closing the boxthe hasp o engages the staple .I and forces it inward untilthe box iscompletely closed, when the staple will pass through the hasp and isthenlocked by means of a padlock, as shown.

L represents an indicator consisting of a rod the ends of which are bentat right angles, as at Z Z the end Z projecting outside of the box, asshown. The partition E about its center and near the top is slitted, asat f, and the metal between the slits depressed inwardly, forming aloop, through which the indicator-rod is passed and wit-hin which it isfree to rotate. The bent end Z of the rod L (see Fig. 2) normallyprojects downwardly within the box, and any letters inserted within thebox will rest against said bent end,and when the bent end Z of the rodis turned the presence of the letters will be indicated by their weightand by the resistance they offer to turning the rod.

In securing the box in place the plate C is first screwed or otherwisesecured to the door, wall, or other part of the building and the loops BB on the box slipped over the pintles c c, thus hinging the boxto thesaid plate. When the box is closed and locked, the bottom rear edge ofthe box rests under the bottom edge of the plate C and prevents the boxfrom being lifted up od the pintles c c. In order to insert mail withinthe box, it is merely necessary to hold the letters in one hand andpress them against the rear end of the shutter H, causing the shutter toassume the po-V sition shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, when the lettersare released and dropped in the box. When the letters are inserted,theinclined detlecting-plate e causes the letters to strike the plate C,and the lower edges of the letters strike the corrugation D, by means ofwhich they are deiiected against the lower curved portion of thepartition E, which causes the letters to assume the position shown bydotted lines in Fig. 2, the lower edges of the letters resting againstthe end l of the indicator-rod. By turning the indicator-rod by means ofthe projecting end lthe presence of letters contained within the boxwill be communicated to the person operating said rod, when the box canbe opened and the inail removed. By constructing the partition as showna compartment M is provided for the reception of newspapers, thepartition forming the rear wall thereof, and said partition, beingsecured at the top and bottom only, will act as a spring to clasp andretain the papers inserted within said compartment. The bottom frontedge ofthe boxAis turned inwardly and upwardly, forming a iiange m,

. which serves to retain any papers which may be folded very compactlyin a small compass. When the box is closed, the delecting-plate e andcorrugation D eectually prevent any instrument being inserted within thebox to grasp the letters, and thus prevents the removal of mail byunauthorized persons.

When the box is secured to a door, the padlock may be dispensed with, apin or key N being employed in lieu thereof, said pin passing through aperforation n, formed in the door, and through a correspondingperforation y formed in the plate C, the pin passing behind the spring Kand staple J and preventing the staple being pressed inward until thepin has been withdrawn from the inside of the door.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. A house letter-boxhaving a closed and an open compartment and a clamp for yieldinglyholding the mail-matter in the open compartment, substantially asdescribed.

2. A house letter-box divided into a closed and an open compartment by aspring-partition which acts as a clamp to hold the mailmatter in theopen compartment.

3. The combination, with the plate C, adapted to be secured to abuilding and provided `with the corrugation` D, ofthe box A,

hinged thereto and provided with a slotted top and .shutter and thedeflecting-plate e,substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the plate C, adapted to be secured to abuilding and provided with ahasp c', of the box A, hinged to said plateand provided with a staple J, secured to the free end of a spring K,said staple projecting through a slot in the box and engaging the hasp,and means for locking said staple and hasp, substantially as shown anddescribed.

5. The combination, with the plate C, adapted to be secured to abuilding, of the box A, hinged thereto and having a slotted top andshutter and provided with a partition E, curved at its lower end andextending from the lower inner edge of the box to near the top thereof,forming a receptacle for mailmatter and a compartment open at the bottomfor the reception of newspapers, substantially as shown and described.

6. Thecombinatiomwith the plate C and the box A, hinged thereto, of thecurved partition E, secured within said box at its top and bottom andconstituting a spring, said partition, in connection with said box andplate, forming a closed receptacle for mail-matter and an openreceptacle for newspapers, substantially as shown and described.

7. The combination,withtheplateCand box A, hinged thereto, of thespring-partition E, curved at its lower end and extending from the rearlower edge of the box to near the top thereof and dividing the box intoaclosed receptacle for mail-matter and an open compartment fornewspapers, the lower front edge of the box being turned inwardly andupwardly to form a ange, substantially as shown and described, and forthe purpose specified.

8. In combination with a letter-box, an iudicator consisting of apivoted rodv provided with a finger projecting within the box andengaging the mail contained therein and provided with a fingerprojecting without the box, by means of which the rod is rotated,substantially as described.

9. In a house letter-box, the combination,

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with the slotted top thereof, of a flat hinged shutter projectingpartially within and partially without said slotted top and opened bythe pressure exerted by the insertion of the letter and closed bygravity and constituting a guide to cause a letter when inserted in thebox to drop vertically therein, substantially as described.

10. In a house letter-box, the combination, with the slotted topthereof, of a flat hinged shutter H, projecting partially within andpartially without said slotted top, and a corrugation D, formed in thebox at a point beneath the rear end of the shutter, said shutter openingby pressure exerted by the insertion of a letter and closing by gravityand constituting a guide to cause the letter to strike the cort'ugaticnD to deect the same to the position shown, and forthepurposespecified...

l1.' In a house letter-box, the combination, with a box provided with aslotted top and having a curved bottom and a corrugation D, of a hingedshutter H, projecting partially Within and partially Without saidslotted top and opened by the pressure exerted by the insertion of aletter and closed by gravity, said shutter constituting a guide to causethe letter to strike the corrugation D and be deilected over upon thecurved bottom of the box, substantially as shown and described.

12. In a house letter-box, the combination, with a slotted top, of a atshutter hinged in said slotted top and serving as a guide to direct theletters toward the rear Wall of the box and a corrugation formed in saidrear Wall and acting to deflect the letters in the manner shown, andforvthe purpose specified.

13. In a house letter-box, the combination, With the slotted top, of afiat shutter hinged within said slotted top and projecting partiallyWithin and Without said top, the rear end of the shutter normallyresting against the under side of the top of the box and the forward endresting upon the upper side of the top, said shutter being automaticallyopened by the insertion of a letter and closing by gravity,substantially as shown and described. In testimony whereof I aix mysignature in presence of two Witnesses.

PHILIP C. BROWN. W`itnesses:

J. HENRY KAISER, JOSEPH O. STACK.

